The myriad horrors of the 41st Millennium cause many worlds to fortify themselves against invasion from Chaos raiders and xenos hordes, but even those who raise the mightiest bastions and deadliest defence networks neglect the danger within. Among the downtrodden masses who labour thanklessly under the yoke of the Imperium, the spark of rebellion alights – driven by the psychic impulse of an insidious alien infection.
These seditious conspirators are the Genestealer Cults, great congregations of xenos hybrids who wage deadly insurgent wars against their oppressors and usurp control of entire planets in carefully prepared uprisings. They toil for generations to infiltrate positions of power and seed the dominion of their Patriarch among the populace, all to fulfil their ultimate destiny and guide their prophesied saviours (or so they think) to their world. Here’s everything you need to know if you’re thinking of starting an army of these crafty revolutionaries.
New to the world of Warhammer 40,000? This quick-fire primer will get you up to speed on the insidious insurgents of the Genestealer Cults – what they are, how they look, and how they play on the tabletop.
Though the steady manipulations of a Genestealer Cult are a far cry from the massed invasions of the Tyranids, they share a common origin among the Hive Fleets. The same Genestealers who infest space hulks and leap across battlefields in great bladed tides may instead find themselves the vanguard of an invasion fleet, where they infiltrate populated worlds and begin the long process of founding a cult.
These clawed xenos horrors are conspicuous on their own, so instead they begin the long process of seeding a congregation by abducting unlucky wanderers, hypnotising them through an unnatural psionic telepathy, and implanting them with the Genestealer’s own genetic material. Even the smallest corruption is enough to enthral the hearts and minds of their victims, who swiftly become willing accomplices, seeking out others to join their flock.
As the number of inductees grows, so too does the Genestealer, who swells with psychic power until they tower over their kin as the nascent cult’s Patriarch. Its human followers see their monstrous master as a figure of divine awe and display utter devotion to it, swiftly turning the overwhelming sense of fellowship they feel towards it and each other into a formalised religious hierarchy with leaders, advisers, and legions of loyal followers.
To keep their infestations secret, Genestealers typically grab their first victims from the very lowest strata of Imperial society – workers and wastrels who live and die far beneath the notice of the ruling elite. This means that their most numerous and devoted followers are invariably drawn from industrial cabals and mining conglomerates – though they are well-suited to their new roles as the powerful tools used by such dangerous professions make great ad-hoc weapons when the time for ascension arrives.
Some members are granted more than just a sliver of the Patriarch’s power, becoming spiritual, military, and logistical specialists who further guide their kin, bolstered by the ever-present influence of the Broodmind. This instinctual psychic connection grants each cultist a pre-defined place within a great gestalt community, linking their minds and strengthening their camaraderie while avoiding the kind of psychic dominion that would rob them of their guile and individuality.
As the cult gains momentum and more citizens are brought into the fold, infiltrators begin to exert control over vital institutions from the local planetary defence force to power, fuel, and food industries. It may take years or even centuries for their plans to pay off, but the cults teach that their salvation must be earned, for the Star Children accept only the worthy for their destined apotheosis.
The Day of Ascension is the highest calling for each and every cult, as they finally amass enough strength and influence over a world to burst from their warrens and claim the planet in open rebellion. Those who are defeated will retreat to begin their infiltration anew, but should they succeed and seize the reins of power, the populace are quickly made ready for deliverance at the hands of the Star Children.
Unfortunately, the reality is quite different. The true purpose of a Genestealer Cult is as lethal to its members as it is to everyone else on the planet. Unbeknownst to them, the strength of their uprising powers a psychic beacon strong enough to reach across the stars, ultimately guiding a Tyranid invasion to their doorstep with the planet’s defenders either enthralled or wiped out.
These are the true faces of the Star Children – the all-consuming monsters who strip entire worlds of their biomass before moving on, leaving a barren husk in their wake. Devotion to the Genestealer Cult provides no safety when the assault begins, and though some few might escape to spread the cult’s word to other communities, most are harvested without mercy.
On the battlefield, the Genestealer Cults match their secretive nature with a strong emphasis on ambushes and pinpoint strikes into enemy strongpoints. The less mutated Acolytes are often armed only with their tools of the trade and a few mothballed autoguns, and so must rely on the element of surprise or – should the worst come to the worst – grinding attrition as fresh hordes of fanatical recruits hurl themselves into the melee.
Although they lack more than a whisper of real military training, the psychic connection of the Broodmind makes the rank-and-file fighters of a Genestealer Cult surprisingly effective at co-ordinating attacks, and catching enemy soldiers in blistering crossfires is a favourite tactic for these underdogs. Manoeuvring around an opponent’s flanks to hit them from all sides is a vital part of their playbook, for although their Genestealer heritage makes them tougher than the average human, they are still fragile in the face of massed firepower.
To circumvent their fragility, many of the units employed by the Genestealer Cults are extremely fast, expert infiltrators, or a combination of the two. The enemy can’t hit what they can’t see, and often a horde of clawed hybrids bursting from the ground is the first sign that they’re under attack.
Repurposed civilian vehicles make surprisingly effective weapons on the battlefield, and there are no shortage of fast Achilles Ridgerunners or lumbering Goliath Rockgrinders – each a favourite runabout of the Genestealer Cults – found across the Imperium. Particularly successful cults even manage to enthral local Astra Militarum regiments into formations known as Brood Brothers, adding the equipment and training of a professional military force to their people’s uprising.
Combat Patrol is a game mode perfect for beginners and veterans alike, in which smaller forces clash in fast-paced, balanced games. The Genestealer Cults are all about hitting as hard and as fast as possible to minimise their losses, and they maximise their speed with some of the fastest units found in Combat Patrol, backed up by infantry that can surge right back onto the battlefield if they’re destroyed.
The Claw of Ascension is led by a Jackal Alphus – a skilled sharpshooter mounted on the back of a speedy dirtcycle – and flanks them with an entourage of Atalan Jackals riding their own bikes and quads. Not only are these fast and durable – with the Stealth rule making them hard to hit – but they also carry a powerful mining laser on the Wolfquad to punch right through vehicle armour.
They’re joined by an Achilles Ridgerunner, which is one of the rare vehicles found in Combat Patrol and which packs a potent missile launcher for long-range fire support. While they are racing around the battlefield picking off their prey, two squads of five Hybrid Metamorphs scoop up objectives and engage enemies at close range – only to jump right back into battle should they perish, thanks to the faction’s Cult Ambush rule.
All you need to deploy the Claw of Ascension is a few dice, a ruler, and the downloadable rules below – the Core Rules show you how to play the game, the Combat Patrol Datasheets provide a balanced army that’s ready to play, and the Combat Patrol Missions give you some thrilling objectives to fight over!
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Genestealer Cults have a fascinating duality to their colour schemes, as they combine the plain and utilitarian uniforms of Imperial labourers with the alien flesh that warps their bodies. Genestealers themselves come in a wide variety of colours, so an eclectic mix of vibrant chitinous plates and industrial clothing can give your army a unique look.
To help ease your miniatures onto the battlefield with a simple, achievable colour scheme that works across a wide variety of units, the Warhammer 40,000 Painting Team have put together a list of paints to give your Combat Patrol the raiment of the Cult of the Four-armed Emperor – the classic grey and purple colours that you’ll often see on boxes of Genestealer Cults miniatures.
The bikes and vehicles found in the Combat Patrol add an interesting third element to your colour scheme. You could further expand your contrasting colours or match parts of your existing miniatures – in the example above, they use similar colours for the armour and the vehicle chassis. Liberal application of dark shades and light drybrushing can also give your models a dirty and dusty appearance in moments, which is extremely appropriate for the downtrodden labourers that make up your infantry.
Once you have a few Combat Patrol games under your belt and you’re ready to grow from a nascent congregation to an all-out rebellion, you might be wondering where to go next.
Your first stop is Codex: Genestealer Cults – the essential companion to the faction, containing plenty of background lore and a showcase of gorgeously painted miniatures, as well as rules for 48 different units and plenty of different ways to play them. Together with a copy of the Warhammer 40,000 Core Book, you’ll have all the rules you need to start playing full-size games of Warhammer 40,000.
With the Combat Patrol fulfilling your needs for a fast and hard-hitting strike force, the rank-and-file infantry of the Genestealer Cults are a great place to bulk up your collection. Neophyte Hybrids are the least mutated of their brethren – and the ones who can usually blend seamlessly into society – and are experts at popping up where they’re least expected before unleashing a firestorm from their autoguns and arsenal of special weapons.
As the Day of Ascension nears, the Broodmind releases the shackles on its deadliest and least subtle assault troops – the Purestrain Genestealers. Many of these clawed monsters are the very same companions that infiltrated the world alongside their Patriarch, and their lethal close combat prowess is only matched by their devious alien cunning.
Heavy utility vehicles repurposed into weapons of war are a common sight in the ranks of the Genestealer Cults, and they’re a great way to add durable transportation and fire support to your army. Goliath Rockgrinders are rock-solid war engines designed to be smashed headlong into the enemy, and they soak up an immense amount of firepower otherwise destined for their more fragile compatriots.
It’s not unusual for the Patriarch themselves to take to the field when the cult rises to war, lending their indomitable psychic prowess and immense strength to turn the tide of battles. They are assisted by a wide assortment of specialist leaders who handle the day-to-day command of the cult’s forces, such as the psychic Magus, whose mind-controlling powers can divert enemy shooting away from your forces.
The clandestine tactics of the Genestealer Cults are exemplified by their cabal of specialist assassins, who set a single enemy target within their sights at the start of the battle and stop at nothing to eliminate them as quickly as possible. The Sanctus can deploy with either a sniper rifle tuned to slaughter enemy psykers or a malignant dagger laced with the Patriarch’s own essence, which slips through armour and flesh like a hot knife through butter.
While the Genestealer Cults show up in a wide variety of Black Library fiction, they are – much like the Tyranids – often sat squarely in the antagonist’s corner. Worse still, their secretive, guerilla nature means their appearance is often a sudden twist, and revealing the presence of the Broodmind in any novel might just spoil its dramatic reveal!
They aren’t always the baddies, though, and the trials and tribulations of an up-and-coming Genestealer cult are the focus of Day of Ascension by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
Downtrodden workers from the Forge World of Morod finally find a ray of hope when persuasive preachers foretell an end to their toil and injustice, far from the prying eyes of their Tech-priest overlords. A long prophesied union with angels from beyond the stars has nearly arrived, and even the machinations of a rogue Genetor can’t prevent the world’s salvation… or at least, the end of their oppression.
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